{"id":106793,"date":"2026-02-20T09:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T14:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/?p=106793"},"modified":"2026-02-20T09:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T14:08:15","slug":"mayflower-descendants-whos-who-part-53-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/mayflower-descendants-whos-who-part-53-part-3.html","title":{"rendered":"Mayflower Descendants: Who\u2019s Who, Part 53 (part 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry continues her series on Mayflower descendants, focusing again on Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall and the Wixon family line. Melissa is a genealogist who has a website, americana-archives.com<\/a>, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today I continue my series on \u201cMayflower Descendants: Who\u2019s Who,\u201d featuring the family lines of Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall, born in 1963 to Christopher Howland Koehler and Eleanor Marion (West) Koehler.<\/p>\n

Jennifer is a direct descendant of Mayflower<\/em> passengers Stephen Hopkins<\/a> and his children Constance and Giles, William Bradford, George Soule, Thomas Rogers, Joseph Rogers, William Brewster<\/a> and his wife Mary, Richard Warren, John Tilley, Elizabeth Tilley, and John Howland.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Jennifer Koehler, age 19, at home on Cape Cod in Dennis, Massachusetts. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here is a genealogy chart of Jennifer\u2019s lineage listing all her Mayflower<\/em> lines. A red arrow points to her. (At the end of this article see the Wixon genealogy chart with Mayflower<\/em> lines.)<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall\u2019s genealogy chart. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To recap: My last article, Part 2<\/a>, covered Jennifer\u2019s great-grandparents Capt. Nathaniel Hawes Wixon (1896-1970), known as \u201cThan,\u201d son of Edgar Francis Wixon and Adelia M. (Hawes) Wixon, and his wife Marion Barstow (Baker) Wixon, one of the eight children born to Robert Clinton Baker and Hattie Hamblin (Barstow) Baker<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here is a photo of Jennifer\u2019s great-great-grandparents Edgar Francis Wixon and Adelia M. (Hawes) Wixon.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Edgar and Adelia Wixon. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here is a photo of Jennifer\u2019s great-grandparents Than Hawes Wixon and Marion Barstow (Baker) Wixon.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Than and Marion Wixon. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Than was a pillar of the community. A successful master mariner and fisherman, he served on the regional school committee and as a selectman, and had a school named after him. He was the go-to guy for all matters and known to be a real family man.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Than Wixon on a dock in fishing gear. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And when times were rough and Prohibition was in place, Than found a way to keep coin in his pocket as well as his crew\u2019s.<\/p>\n

As the saying goes, \u201cnecessity is the mother of invention,\u201d and Capt. Nathaniel \u201cThan\u201d Wixon added rum running to his list of services.<\/p>\n

One of his daughters, Pauline Frances (Wixon) Derick (1917-1997), was the family historian and shared the skinny on her father\u2019s moonlighting trade with the Dennis Historical Society.<\/p>\n

Here is what was placed on record and published in the historical society\u2019s newsletter in October 1994:<\/p>\n

Dennis mariners have always been available to make a living on the water whenever the opportunity presented itself \u2013 and Prohibition was just another opportunity.<\/p>\n

Hundreds or thousands of bottles and cans landed in Dennis to be distributed elsewhere, but a certain percentage found its way into Dennis cellars, barns, and closets.<\/p>\n

That was a time of high excitement as the ever-present Coast Guard was a force to be reckoned with. Many times they would come upon a boat running with no lights on, start a high-speed pursuit, and after 20 minutes or so the pursued boat would heave-to for boarding \u2013 having just jettisoned their entire cargo.<\/p>\n

Uncle Sam\u2019s watchdogs would board a \u201cclean\u201d vessel where they could do nothing, knowing well that the crew was guilty, but with no evidence to prove anything.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Below is a news clip from the Boston Herald<\/em> entitled \u201cSmugglers Abandon $10,000 in Liquor \u2013 Rum Runners, Surprised by Coast Guardsmen, Escape in Boats,\u201d that describes the smugglers abandoning their 120 cases of high-grade contraband when the Coast Guard chased them off. In this bust the loot was left on Corporation Beach at Dennis Village instead of being dropped into the briny deep.<\/p>\n

\"An
Boston Herald (Boston, Massachusetts), 22 December 1930, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Word got out and local fishermen would be out dragging the Sound or the Bay hoping to dredge up a cash crop. One of these astute fishermen was Than Wixon of Dennis Port.<\/p>\n

His daughters, Pauline Derick and Adelia (Wixon) West said they still have the boom Than used to drag the Sound, retrieving cases that had been thrown overboard.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Adelia (left) and Pauline Wixon. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They remember being woken one night by the state police pounding on the door. They were trying to locate a crew that had been \u201csurprised\u201d unloading a cargo, abandoned the boat, and then taken refuge \u2013 somewhere.<\/p>\n

Than offered no assistance to the police \u2013 after all, that crew was hiding in the cellar of his barn.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Than and Marion Wixon\u2019s house. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next morning his wife, known to us as \u201cMiss Marion,\u201d scurried out to the barn with some hot coffee and baking powder biscuits, scared that someone would see her.<\/p>\n

It seemed the crew was a bunch of young boys from Plymouth, one or two who lived next door to her uncle, a Plymouth policeman.<\/p>\n

Than stored his \u201ccatch\u201d in one of his summer rental cottages or in his barn cellar until he found a buyer, who was often Dr. John Peter Nickerson, son of John Wixon Nickerson and Mary A. (Howes) Nickerson of West Harwich (where the Friendly\u2019s Restaurant on Rte. 28 is now).<\/p>\n

Earl Blanchard Nickerson (1890-1952), son of Otis Clement Nickerson and Louise Kendrick (Sparrow) Nickerson of Dennis Port, fished quite often with Than and would sometimes take part of his pay in liquid form.<\/p>\n

Going home with his \u201cpay\u201d in a wooden box, he would be on the lookout for Constable Benjamin Franklin Kendrick (1884-1875), son of Benjamin Wixon Kendrick and Emma (Chase) Kendrick, coming down Depot Street. Earl put the box down, sat on it, and whistled nonchalantly while Ben drove by.<\/p>\n

Dr. Nickerson\u2019s patients relied on him for their \u201csupply\u201d after local saloons shut down. Capt. John made a daily pilgrimage to Dr. Nickerson\u2019s for another pint of \u201cmedication.\u201d When houses were moved there were heaps of empty bottles under the floor.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Even more telling \u2013 in 1932 Dennis voted 270-6 against an appropriation bill of $1,000 to suppress rum runners.<\/p>\n

\"An
Boston Herald (Boston, Massachusetts), 9 March 1932, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Below are four photos of Than with his crew of fellow fishermen. Some are kinfolk and all are Mayflower<\/em> scions.<\/p>\n

In this photo we see (left to right): Captain John Sears Garfield (1913-1952); Charles Herbert West (1906-1984); Nathaniel \u201cThan\u201d H. Wixon; and James Stanley Lapham (1884-1952).<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Than Wixon with fellow fishermen. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here we see: Nathaniel H. Wixon (left) and Ralph Freeman Cahoon (1914-1980).<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Than Wixon (left) and Ralph Cahoon. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In this photo we see (left to right): Captain John Sears Garfield; Nathaniel H. Wixon; and Sylvanus Clinton Cahoon (1909-1992).<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: (left to right) John Garfield; Nathaniel Wixon; and Sylvanus Cahoon. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here we see (left to right):\u00a0 Albert \u201cBert\u201d Paul Kelley; George Woodman; Rocky Eldredge; and Than Wixon.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: (left to right) Albert Kelley; George Woodman; Rocky Eldredge; and Than Wixon. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here is the Wixon genealogy chart showing Mayflower<\/em> lines.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: Wixon genealogy chart. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More to come!<\/p>\n

Create a free account<\/a> at GenealogyBank for 7 days to start your journey and discover the stories your ancestors left behind.<\/p>\n

Note on the header image:<\/em><\/strong> scenes from the Cape Cod fishing life. Credit: Jennifer (Koehler) Mackall.<\/p>\n

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